Teen pilot leaves Hawaii for last leg of around-the-world solo flight

Matt Guthmiller of Aberdeen, S.D., in his single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza A36 plane after landing at the Manila International Airport on July 1.

Matt Guthmiller, a 19-year-old Massachusetts Institute of Technology student, is expected to complete his record-breaking around-the-world flight on Monday night after taking off from Hawaii.

The South Dakota teenager, who is on a quest to become the youngest person to fly solo around the globe, is expected to land in California at 8:45 p.m. on Monday.

Guthmiller flew from Honolulu to Kona on Sunday and then left Hawaii island on Monday morning in his 1981 Beechcraft A36 Bonanza, heading for El Cajon, Calif., where his 29,000-mile journey began on May 31.

Guthmiller arrived in Hawaii early Saturday morning when he landed in Hilo following a 16 1/2-hour flight from Pago Pago, American Samoa. He then flew on to Honolulu on Saturday afternoon.

He is raising money for code.org, a nonprofit organization that promotes computer education.

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scuddrunnerwrote:

Now that single engine flying, good for him!

on July 14,2014 | 03:50PM

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whs1966wrote:

Who cares about some kid who was most likely born into a wealthy family flying around the world?

on July 14,2014 | 08:12PM

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SueHwrote:

The same people that must've cared about Amelia Earheart.

on July 14,2014 | 08:52PM

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SueHwrote:

Why did he fly from Hilo to Honolulu, only to return to Kona before departing for California??? Sounds like a lot of back-tracking to me. I guess he's not paying for the gas!

on July 14,2014 | 08:50PM

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Ronin006wrote:

What's the big deal? Former President George H Bush became a naval aviator at age 18 and at flew fighter aircraft all over the Pacific in WW II while only 19 years old. No one called him a "teen," because he was a man.